Every year, Karl Lagerfeld hosts an amazing fashion show called Métiers d’Art which showcases the work of Chanel’s atelier houses.  This year, the show was held in Salzburg.  Since studying at the Lesage embroidery house myself, I have become increasingly interested in the traditional atelier houses that service the Haute Couture industry.  As the traditional craftsmanship is dying and many atelier houses are slowly disappearing, Chanel have been buying the companies to prese

A world traveling exhibition of miniature Christian Dior Haute Couture gowns has begun its journey this summer in Chendgu, China.  This amazing show incorporates many of the fashion label’s most well known gowns, created in miniature versions from the originals.  Each piece is a third of the size of the original creations, yet still follows the same Haute Couture traditional techniques in the same precision.  The atelier houses still serving the world of Haute Couture still w

One of the best parts about living in France is getting to visit some of the most incredible craft atelier houses still creating handmade pieces for the world of fashion.  I have always wanted to visit Legeron and buy some flowers for my work, so I finally made time go into Paris and visit this wonderful atelier.  Legeron is a flower maker started in 1880 and has managed to stay in the hands of the same family and is still run today by Bruno, the founder’s great grandson.  I

One of the best things about living in Europe are the many possibilities for weekend adventures.  This past weekend Thomas and I with his family set off for Bordeaux. I didn’t know much about this south west region of France other than it produces some of the most famous wines in the world.  Only a 3 hour train ride outside of Paris, it is a beautiful place to visit whether you are a wine drinker or not.  We started out our first day with a drive through the vineyards visitin

After living abroad for almost 5 years, coming back to Canada is both a relief and a little frustrating.  I am suddenly aware of the consumerism attitude that North Americans are so well known for.  I feel like everyone drives a huge car, eats tons of food, and watches too much television.  I never realized the difference in culture until I left and lived overseas.  Now that I am back in Canada, for now, I am trying to find ways to continue the European lifestyle that I grew

Traditional craft of Europe is something that will always fascinate me, and is why I originally came to France.  The atelier houses that have existed for hundreds of years are built around a sense of pride and history.  The traditional techniques that are still used today are a dying trade and something we must not take for granted.  More and more of these studios are closing their doors, so we must shed light on those that are still left standing. Located in Germany, Deutsch

One of my favorite things to do in Paris is to visit Île de la Cité and stroll through the flower market.  When most people visit Notre Dame, they don’t realize that just down the street is a beautiful flower market.  Housed in iron pavilions, it is open 7 days a week from 8am to 7.30pm  The best time to visit the market is in the spring and summer as all of the flowers are out in full bloom.  The winter time around the holidays is also a pretty time to visit the market to se

Celebrating Mother’s Day in England this weekend, Chanel has opened a flower stall in Covent Garden.  This unique addition to the Chanel brand will be open March 8 -10th in front of it’s beauty boutique.  Flowers featured in the brand’s perfumes, like jasmine, rose, and tuberose will be for sale, and gifts like hand-tied posies and calligraphy notes will also be given to shoppers who purchase a fragrance.   Who wouldn’t love a bunch of Chanel flowers! A flower cart in Covent

Although I am not physically in Paris this time for Couture week, my soul is still there.  I am usually snapping as many photos as possible and running from show to show through the streets of Pairs this time of year.  This year, I am relaxing in the sunshine of Florida and checking out the Couture shows online.  With so many social media outlets, I am able to catch photos and updates of the show almost per second! Chanel started the day yesterday morning with Karl Lagerfeld

Last Saturday, I had family in town visiting so we decided to get out of the busy city for the day and visit Giverny. We caught a train headed for Vernon were we then got a connecting bus that took us into the town of Giverny, famous for Claude Monet’s house and gardens. Walking around the tiny streets of the village seemed like time had stood still. You could imagine Monet walking the cobblestone streets and sitting in a little cafe in the town. After going through the house

I have never been so glad to get off the subway as when we arrived at our destination. Going up into the street, and looking up at the Arc de Triomphe was pretty spectacular. However, once I started to look around I noticed that you could barely move around since there were so many people there! The street was closed down, and there were plants, trees and even vegetables growing where there are usually hundreds of cars driving up the Champs Elysees. This was a PR event that

#flowers #ParcFloral #paris #Parks